Hex Crawls

I have always been kind of fascinated by hex crawls. When I used to run and play Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons on the regular, I rarely tapped into them. They were more a neat visual device than a means to play the game. I was probably caught up in the shift that was happening in the 90s. Lots of story driven play and a lot less play drive the story catalysts to games.

By the time I had embraced my preferred, enjoy the unexpected style of play, I had moved on from D&D and her relatives. It is only since I started playing Torchbearer with my kids a few years ago that I got to really explore the value I get out of the "hex crawl" style play.

My new adventure, split across the next three issues of Yggdrasil MGZ, is very much grounded in my approach to hex crawl style play. It is heavily influenced by a few key sources that opened my brain up to specific possibilities...

• Scenic Dunnsmouth is an adventure that uses dice on paper to map out the location as well as randomness regarding the people in this local. It also uses a clever mechanic to set the conditions of the situation with that die roll, allowing for a certain amount of replay-ability.
• Carcosa is a wild setting book whose hex descriptions are sparse but evocative, giving you just enough to shape things for yourself. I played it at a convention and had long discussions afterwards that stuck with me for years.
• The Ghost Tower of Illmyr Fens is the latest Torchbearer adventure from Luke and Thor, which is sparse and tight. From an editorial standpoint, trying to achieve that with this monster has been the goal. I think without it, this issue would be 200 pages alone.

I am getting close to done with the first installment. Bad news is, I can't accomplish my original vision, and as such is running behind. The good news is, this thing sort of cascades. After the first issue covering the Sanctums of the Serpent Vaults, the following issues will only be delayed by the speed in which I can generate the artwork.

Being a one person band is a bitch some days...

What Makes Up a Hex?

This question has bedeviled me for some time. When I think about what goes into a hex, I am very much thinking about what is useful in a hex at the table? What is the right balance of things to transform the material from authorial masturbation into, to continue the metaphor, great fucking sex?